1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to oil cooling systems and more particularly to oil cooling systems for internal combustion engines which have remotely provided oil coolers.
2. Description of Prior Art
Many internal combustion engines for motor vehicles are provided with engine oil coolers, particularly air cooled engines wherein the temperature of the oil is a very important factor in determining the temperature of the engine. Such engine oil coolers are typically provided in the engine compartment and are exposed to the air flow from the engine fan so that the oil cooler is constantly exposed to a flow of air created by the engine fan so as to cool the engine oil.
With the advent of off the road vehicles and tighter emission controls systems which both result in higher engine oil temperatures, it has become advantageous to add larger engine oil coolers since the original oil cooler frequently proves to be inadequate because of its small size and capacity. Since the replacement oil coolers are larger and the space in engine compartments is limited, such replacement engine oil coolers must be provided remotely from the engine. Furthermore, since the air in the engine compartment is typically hot and the exterior is exposed to large air flow of relatively cool air, such replacement oil coolers are usually provided remotely on the body or frame of the motor vehicle where they are exposed to the exterior air flow created by the motor vehicle moving through the air.
While such remotely installed replacement oil coolers provide the additional engine oil cooling, they possess certain disadvantages. The primary disadvantage is that since they are only exposed to the air flow created by the motor vehicle moving through the air, when the motor vehicle is stationary, such as in heavy traffic, the cooling done by these replacement oil coolers can also become inadequate with a resulting overheating of the motor vehicle. As of the present time this disadvantage has not been overcome since the coupling of the remotely provided replacement oil cooler to the engine of the motor vehicle requires that the original cooler be eliminated completely. Therefore, when a replacement oil cooler of larger size is provided, no oil cooler is coupled to the engine which is exposed to the air flow created by the engine fan.